1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novelty devices that are used for advertising and promotional purposes and, more particularly, to a hand sign that is movable by a hand of a user so as to allow advertisements or messages to be concealed and displayed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of novelty devices for promotional purposes is well known to those who attend or otherwise participate in events where there are a large number of viewing spectators, such as sporting competitions, political conventions, and the like. In past years such promotional novelties have included pins, hats, shirts, banners, and other similar types of devices. These devices were generally used to display logos, slogans, and messages, and allowed a user to express support for a particular individual, team, or cause.
In recent years interest in expressing support, whether it may be for an individual, a team, or a cause, has increased dramatically. In response to this increased interest, larger auditoriums, sports arenas, and stadiums have been built to accommodate a greater number of spectators. Also, television coverage of many events has expanded, thereby increasing the total number of home viewing spectators.
As a result of this overall increase in spectators, those spectators who attend the events often find themselves unable to individually express their support with others in attendance, with the individual, team, or cause that they support, or with the home viewing spectators, due to the large crowds that are in attendance. In other words, the spectators in attendance become lost in the crowd.
To overcome this problem, efforts have been made to develop novelty devices that allow spectators in attendance to better communicate their support and enthusiasm. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,486,975 and 4,455,963 each disclose promotional novelty devices that allow spectators to better express their support at crowded events. Thus, these novelty devices allow spectators in attendance to stand out in the crowd. A brief description of these prior art devices is now given.
Harreld et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,975, discloses an inflatable novelty device that fits over a hand of a user. The device may take several different forms, but most commonly takes the form of an enlarged hand expressing a numeral one or a victory signal.
Matsuo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,963, discloses an enlarged hand simulator that also fits over a hand of a user. This device is configurable as desired by the user, wherein fingers of the device may be extended or clenched to form a limited number of supportive hand gestures. This device also allows logos, slogans, or messages to be displayed on both sides of the hand simulator at its palm.
Although both of the above-mentioned prior art devices provide spectators with a better means with which to express support, neither device is in any way movable by the hand of the user so as to control what form of support is to be expressed. Furthermore, neither device allows advertisements or messages to be concealed and subsequently displayed by the user, or vice versa. Such device movement and the ability to conceal and display advertisements or messages is often desirable by the user, or spectator, so as to provide a quick change between advertisements or messages being displayed, and to provide as many different means of expressing support as possible. It is therefore desirable to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned prior art devices in these areas, while providing spectators with promotional novelty devices that better communicates their support and enthusiasm.